Auteur: Ap Verheggen

Results flooded our best expectations when we tested the Droppler 20 in the climate room of the Dutch Ministry of Defense last week. We harvested nearly 29 liters (7.7 gallons) of fresh water from the air! Our goal, using the hybrid portable solar-powered 24-volt plug-and-play device was 20 liters per day.

It was also beyond encouraging that in Sub-Sahara conditions (39C/109F – RH 43%), our system produced 21 liters per day. Conventional technology stops working in these temperatures! We then turned up the heat and lowered the relative humidity to 44C/RH 14%, and still produced nearly 6 liters of water!

Who would have thought this was possible? And who bring this green and innovative technology to the market?

SunGlacier is proud to announce that we are selected to design a new and innovative – solar powered – water from air production unit for the Dutch Pavilion at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai. The unit will harvest on average 500 liters of fresh water per day from the surrounding desert air. Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sigrid Kaag, filled a bottle of SunGlacier water at the Dutch beaches for the Dubai Groundbreaking Ceremony.

The unique bottle was shipped to Dubai where Consul General and Commissioner-General, Hans Sandee, presented it to Najeeb Mohammed Al-Ali, Executive Director of Expo 2020 Dubai.

Is it possible to grow our food with only sunshine? – Water out of Air -, climate control and grow lights by solar energy. Until now science-fiction, but since today reality. Wrapped in an Art Project I demonstrate a new solution to cope with drought and a rising demand for food. It soon will be possible to grow our food everywhere, even in a desert. #SunstainableDevelopmentGoals

Last week The Dutch Embassy in Muscat, Oman, invited us to present the SunGlacier project at the Water and Energy Conference, as well as at EU-GCC Water Energy Nexus.

From L to R: Ambassador H.E. van Asch, Ap Verheggen, representives of the government of Oman.

like ants in the wide world (pixels are our cars)

The week before we crossed the hot and dry Wahiba Desert, to investigate if we were able to harvest water from air, only powered by a small solar panel. We didn’t expect that the sun already provides sufficient energy at 6:30 AM, while the air is so humid that all our gear turned soaking wet. It’s such a is misunderstanding that all deserts are extremely dry. Oman, known as a “desert country” has many regions, that are more likely a rain forest. It’s only a matter of making a mind switch to see the opportunities that could benefit these regions.

The DC03 model

The great team of the Dutch Embassy organized the conferences into perfection. We were overwhelmed by all introductions, many new friendships were born. SunGlacier is just before launching new technologies that will raise some eyebrows in the water harvesting world. The Oman location was the ideal setting to unveil the first details of this new technology. ( not shown on the picture)

The SunGlacier project started as an art-meets-science project and now holds real world applications that can change how water resources are perceived. We are assembling a mobile – water from air – device that extracts 20 to 25 liters of fresh water per day. (in semi-desert conditions) This machine is designed to run on solar energy, but also can be plugged in the electrical grid.

This new water well supplies water for human consumption but also could be used for new applications, like off-grid farming. For the exhibition “De kunst van Brood” we build world’s first complete off-grid greenhouse. An double artist’s view to the circular economy: we grow grains in bread – and circulate all water.

We are honoured to announce that Mr. Tom Middendorp, Special Strategic Advisor, and former Chief of Dutch Defense is appointed as the new SunGlacier ambassador.

Tomorrow Mr. Middendorp will introduce the latest SunGlacier project: “From Bread to Flour”, at the PlanetarySecurity Conference in The Hague.This unique Art/Tech project is build in world’s first off-grid food production laboratory: water from air technology, growing lights and climate control, all powered by solar energy.